Angel Kanchev Angelov ( bg, Ангел Кънчев Ангелов) (1850 – 5 March 1872) was a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

revolutionary from

Tryavna Tryavna ( bg, Трявна ) is a town in central Bulgaria, situated in the northern slopes of the Balkan range, on the Tryavna river valley, near Gabrovo. It is famous for its textile industry and typical National Revival architecture, featuring ...

. Kanchev was born in 1850 in the family of a master-builder. At first he studied in his hometown Tryavna and then in

Ruse Ruse may refer to: Places *Ruse, Bulgaria, a major city of Bulgaria **Ruse Municipality ** Ruse Province ** 19th MMC – Ruse, a constituency *Ruše, a town and municipality in north-eastern Slovenia * Ruše, Žalec, a small settlement in east-ce ...

under the guidance of people like

Petko Slaveykov Petko Rachov Slaveykov ( bg, Петко Рачов Славейков) (17 November 1827 OS – 1 July 1895 OS ) was a Bulgarian poet, publicist, politician and folklorist. Biography Early years and educational activity Slaveykov was born in ...

and

Dragan Tsankov Dragan Kiriakov Tsankov ( bg, Драган Киряков Цанков) (9 November 1828 – 24 March 1911) was a Bulgarian politician and the first Liberal Party Prime Minister of the country. He was born in Svishtov. Tsankov was initially a ...

. Kanchev continued his education at the Bolhrad school in

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

and later he attended the Military school in Serbia. During the time spent in Serbia he participated in the Second Bulgarian Legion in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

alongside revolutionaries like

Vasil Levski Vasil Levski ( bg, Васил Левски, spelled in old Bulgarian orthography as , ), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (; 18 July 1837 – 18 February 1873), was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed t ...

and

Panayot Hitov Panayot Ivanov Hitov ( bg, Панайот Иванов Хитов) (November 11, 1830 – February 22, 1918) was a Bulgarian ''hajduk'', national revolutionary and voivode. Born in 1830 in Sliven (known as İslimiye at the time), he became a haj ...

.Perry, p.247 After the dismantle of the Legion Kanchev settled in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

where he released in newspaper ''Dunavska zora'' a Proclamation in which he summons the Bulgarian people to start a revolution against the Ottoman oppressors. During 1870 and 1871 he studied in the Agriculture-industrial school in

Tábor Tábor (; german: Tabor) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administrative parts The followi ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. After his return to Bulgaria Kanchev started working on a farm near Rousse, but did not give up on his revolutionary ideas. He was appointed deputy of Vasil Levski by the

Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee The Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee ( bg, Български революционен централен комитет, ''Balgarski revolyutsionen tsentralen komitet'') or BRCC was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded in 186 ...

. In August 1871 Kanchev met with Levski in

Lovech Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast f ...

and was ordered to start agitating among the people of Northern Bulgaria so that they prepare for a future rebellion. For a relatively short period of time the young revolutionary performed important tasks. However, after an unsuccessful attempt to enter

on 5 March 1872, he killed himself to avoid capture by the Ottomans. His last words are: "Long live BULGARIA". A monument of Angel Kanchev now stands in

, Bulgaria near the location of his death. He is further honored by being the namesake of the

University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse ( bg, Русенски университет „Ангел Кънчев“) is a public university in the city of Ruse, Bulgaria. The university was formed on 21 July 1995 by the dissolution of Higher Institute ...

, as well as numerous schools and streets all over

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. His home in the Bulgarian city of Tryavna is now a museum, dedicated to him.

References

Image:Angel Kanchev suicide place.jpg, The place where Kanchev committed suicide Image:Angel Kanchev monument RU.jpg, A monument {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanchev, Angel 1850 births 1872 deaths People from Tryavna Bulgarian revolutionaries 19th-century Bulgarian people 1870s suicides Suicides by firearm Suicides in Bulgaria